Boosted by federal economic-stimulus money and a moratorium on additional demolition, the old Rock Island swing bridge over the Mississippi River is not entirely dead in the water.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty last week gave the Dakota County side of the bridge a two-year reprieve when he signed the state’s bonding bill, which included the moratorium introduced by Rep. Joe Atkins and Sen. Jim Metzen.

Inver Grove Heights officials also have learned they were given initial approval for a $1.3 million federal transportation grant that would be used to restore what’s left of the historic bridge and turn it into a pedestrian pier.

The century-old bridge, which used to connect Inver Grove Heights and St. Paul Park, faced a scheduled June 16 demolition.

Supporters, including the National Park Service and even some local high school students, say it should be saved for its historical value and transformed into a 609-foot pedestrian walkway that would stretch into the middle of the Mississippi River.

“I love history … and this is about all that’s left of the old Inver Grove area,” said resident Keith Joyce, who created a Facebook page last month to gather momentum to save the bridge.

Officials set the demolition date after parts of the eastern span crumbled under their own weight. In March, work crews dismantled the entire eastern approach and the swing portion of the steel-arch bridge.

“The bridge is still on life support,” Atkins said last week. “The county was ready to pull the plug, but this gives everyone a little more time to try to do something with it.”

Eric Carlson, Inver Grove Heights’ parks and recreation director, said the city is now working on acquiring the remaining bridge structure from the state Department of Revenue, which acquired it in 2003 through tax forfeiture. Washington and Dakota counties have acted as its custodians.

“(Dakota County) has indicated that it wouldn’t be an issue,” Carlson said, adding city officials should know in the next 60 to 90 days.

SPANNING HISTORY

The double-decker bridge was the largest swing bridge in the country when it was built in 1895. It once carried horse-drawn wagons and later automobiles on the lower deck and trains on the upper deck.

The Rock Island Railroad operated it as a toll bridge until 1938, when the Legislature made it free to cross.

As local legend goes, the bridge, also known as the JAR Bridge or Bridge No. 5600, served as an escape route in the 1930s for bank robber John Dillinger as he eluded the FBI.

“Everyone who has lived around here at some point in their lives has stories to tell and memories about going over the rickety old bridge,” said Atkins, who grew up in Inver Grove Heights.

The railroad went bankrupt and closed the bridge in 1980. A few years later, the most recent owner took over operations and reopened it as a toll bridge, charging 75 cents for a one-way trip.

The poor condition of the bridge forced its closure to vehicles in 1999.

Mark Clausen, who can see the bridge from his house on the shore of the Mississippi River, recalled last week the times toll-takers gave him a free pass.

Local officials began debating the bridge’s future after the U.S. Coast Guard in 2001 ordered its removal because of its potential to disrupt navigation on the river.

Dakota County recently removed the first span of the western bridge approach after the eastern portion in Washington County was taken down. Two approach spans and piers two through five remain on the Dakota County side of the river.

Proponents of saving what’s left of the bridge’s western end say it’s worth turning into a pedestrian walkway and overlook that can be integrated into the proposed Heritage Park Riverfront development and Mississippi River Regional Trail.

“We have a chance to create something really special here,” said Paul Labovitz, superintendent of the National Park Service’s Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, which stretches from Dayton, Minn., to Hastings. “There would be nothing quite like it.”

Labovitz pointed to the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis as an example of what it could become.

“It was a similar story,” he said. “It was scheduled to be demolished and some people stepped up to save it, and now it’s the centerpiece of the city. Could you imagine the city without it?”

In order to secure the federal grant through the Metropolitan Council, city staff must hire an engineering consultant to create a plan and cost estimate and apply for several state and federal permits before July 13, Carlson said. In April, the Inver Grove Heights City Council pledged $150,000 toward consultant costs.

“There is still a lot of work to do under a tight deadline,” Carlson said, “but I don’t see any potential roadblocks.”

The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota this month named the bridge one of the state’s 10 most endangered historic places.

The Legislature appropriated $100,000 to the Minnesota Historical Society that could go toward the project, Carlson said. Even if the federal grant is secured, additional money might be needed, he said.

“My gut tells me we’ll need about $700,000 to $1 million more before it’s all said and done,” he said.

Meanwhile, Simley High School sophomores who studied the bridge in their history class are doing their part. This weekend, they planned to hold a fundraiser at the Mississippi River Pub at River Heights Marina near the bridge.

Atkins said he heard from Pawlenty’s staff that the students’ e-mails and letters to his office made a difference in his decision not to line-item veto the two-year moratorium.

“Leave it up to some sophomores to help get something done,” Atkins said. “Every once in a while, something like this lets you know just how well government can work.”

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